Whiter Than Snow
by Heathershade
Summary: Deep in the forest, where no human would ever set foot, lived a band of cats who respected a single leader. However, one fateful night he finds out what is happening to his cats. Forced to seek help, one of his cats tells him about another mysterious group of cats living nearby, led by a she-cat that will change his world forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey hey!**

 **So I've been writing a lot of random Warriors startings, and then one day I decided to make another Fanfiction account (to add on to my current Naruto one) to publish my stories. I'm managing two accounts (3 ongoing stories!), plus school and extracurricular, so I apologize in advance if I update really slowly.**

 **Tigerstar: *breaks in* Would you hurry up and get on with the story?**

 **Me: Who invited you here?**

 **Tigerstar: I invited myself MWAHAHAHA**

 **Me: Um... okay. Well, if you could just let me finish with my Author's Note...**

 **Tigerstar: HEY WHOEVER'S LISTENING COME JOIN THE DARK FOREST**

 **Me: Anyways, I'll be updating once every 3 weeks or so.**

 **Tigerstar: WE HAVE COOKIES**

 **Me: I'm really sorry if you believe the updating situation is a problem. I'll try to update as quickly as possible...**

 **Tigerstar: NO REALLY WE DO**

 **Me: If anyone's even listening. *sigh* Moving on. Tigerstar, make yourself useful and say the disclaimer.**

 **Tigerstar: Hmph. Fine. You people, Heathershade doesn't own Warriors.**

 **Me: Good kitty. Now go away.**

 **Tigerstar: I'M NOT A KITTY *pounces***

 **On with the story!**

Deep in the forest, where no human would ever set foot, lived a band of cats who respected a single leader. The cats were spread throughout the forest, hunting whenever they pleased, but gathered together every midnight below the leader's den.

Very specific rules were set: No two cats could live together in the same den. Kits had to be released into the wild after 6 months with their mother. Family members occasionally crossed one another while hunting, or they caught up with news during the nightly gathering.

Killing could only be authorized by the leader. Normally, a group of devoted cats close to the leader would patrol every den at sunrise, noon, and sunset. The leader knew exactly where every cat lived and the names of every kit born.

However, one fateful night a leader finds out what is happening to his cats. Forced to seek help, one of his cats tells him about another mysterious group of cats living nearby, led by a she-cat that will change his world forever.

* * *

Lightning arched his back in a long stretch. The various squirrel and rabbit pelts under him made a warm nest, provided by his cats. He quickly groomed his striped fur and padded out of his den.

Being leader, Lightning had a group of elite cats that lived near him and obeyed his every command. They were waiting for him now, dark eyes lowering in respect as he leaped off the ledge connected to his den and landed lightly on the forest floor.

Waving his tail, Lightning addressed the group of cats. "Lion, Stone, Blaze, and Mud, patrol the northeast sector. Owl, Buzzard, and Clover will scout southeast. And Flame, Sparrow, and Whisper, you will patrol the entire western sector. Understand?"

All the cats dipped their heads, then streaked off to their various sectors. Lightning felt a spike of satisfaction. His borders were doing well and would not be attacked anytime soon.

Lightning decided to go visit his flank. It was customary of a leader to have a group of 6 or so she-cats, or a flank, not meant for fighting but as potential kit-mothers, to produce new young. When a mother felt her she-kit was not going to survive fending for herself, she normally sold the kit to the leader in exchange for a small supply of food and medicine, giving up the kit's life as a fighter and instead as a mating source for the leader.

Breaking into a sprint, Lightning finally arrived at his flank's den. Made from many branches woven into a sort of tent, it was fairly secure for the delicate she-cats that spent their lives producing kits for expansion of territory.

Lightning ducked his head and entered the den, many scents of she-cats mingling in the air. He spotted Blossom, her belly containing kits, nearby, and padded over to her. Normally, a leader had a mate that was typically the most desirable of the she-cats to live with him and start a family for future leaders. Lightning hadn't chosen his mate yet because he was still considered young by leader standards, but many cats automatically assumed his mate would be Blossom because he paid more attention to her than the other cats.

Blossom was also incredibly pretty, blessed with a sleek light brown pelt with faint highlights throughout her fur. She had startling golden eyes and was everything a mate should've been: kind, perfect, and delicate.

Once Lightning was by Blossom's side, she stretched up gingerly and rubbed her muzzle on his cheek, an act that would have driven typical toms crazy but only slightly annoyed Lightning. The dark-striped tabby didn't care for his flank very much, mainly because he thought they were too needy and had to be looked after. He only kept one because he was expected to as leader, and if there were no more strong fighters in the forest his cats would be weakened.

"Blossom," Lightning meowed. "How are you feeling?"

The pale brown tabby she-cat shifted slightly and wrapped her tail between her legs, an obvious sign she enjoyed his presence. "Well," she mewed, "It's been quite uncomfortable and I'm sort of having a difficult time sleeping. But, of course, visits from you always comfort me."

Lightning resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could obviously tell Blossom wanted more attention from her leader and potential mate. "Right," he responded, then brushed his tail over her as goodbye and moved on to his next she-cat.

Suddenly, a thick gray tail winded itself around Lightning's, and he turned to see Storm plastering herself to him. "Lightning!" she gushed. "It's so nice to see you!"

Awkwardly, the tom unwinded himself from the clingy she-cat. "Why are you here?" he tried to ask, but it came out as a growl.

Storm pouted. "Come on, Lightning! Lighten up a little! By the way, could you get me a vole later when you're hunting? I'm sort of getting sick of the same mice every day."

"You don't get special treatment out of all the she-cats in the flank, Storm," Lightning pointed out, but the dark gray she-cat was already padding away, tail swishing behind her.

Lightning sighed and headed towards the entrance, trying his hardest to avoid any other adoring she-cats. Once he was out of the den, he ran back across the forest to the ledge and leaped up, landing squarely in front of his den. He looked down, seeing most of the patrols arriving through the undergrowth.

"Anything new?" Lightning asked his cats.

Whisper lashed his tail. "There were a couple rogues who decided to challenge our territory, but we gave them some wounds to make them think twice." Behind the pale gray tom, Sparrow and Flame sent smug glances to one another, their unsheathed claws and underbellies splattered with dry blood.

"That's not good enough," Lightning hissed. Turning back to all his cats, he added, "Tomorrow, whoever patrols the western sector will make sure the rogues are dead. I want their bodies brought to my paws as proof. Understand?"

All the cats nodded silently. Lightning flicked his tail. "You are all excused."

They dashed away in blurs of gray and brown as Lightning turned his back and headed towards his den, feeling pride in his cats.

Because the only way to survive here is to crush any threat to prevent it from getting bigger. And to prevent uprisings, what better way to stop them then to exterminate them?

 **Deep stuff, hm?**

 **So Tigerstar, the lazy brute, went off to sleep somewhere and we're all alone. Actually, I'm all alone, but whatevs.**

 **See you in 3 weeks!**

 **~Heathershade**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with Chapter 2!**

 **Foxtail of StormClan - I know the flank thing is kind of weird and has no point, but the effect will kick in later on in the story, if I don't change my mind. But thanks!**

 **PopCat - Thank you!**

 **Dovewing: *prances in* Hi! I'm Dovewing, and I'm awesome because I'm super amazing and I have magical powers! Everyone love me!**

 **Me: Stop being a stuck-up little *****, Dovewing.**

 **Bumblestripe: *follows Dovewing* My love, come back to me!**

 **Tigerheart: Ha ha, mouse-brain, Dovewing likes me! She even broke up with you to be with me!**

 **Bumblestripe: WHAT NO HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE *starts sobbing***

 **Dovewing: *ignores* I AM BEAUTIFUL I AM QUEEN I AM #GOALS**

 **Me: No, you're not. *waves tail* Cleaning crew, get these scumbags out of here.**

 **Tigerheart: HEY I DIDN'T SAY THE DISCLAIMER YET- OW OW STOP PULLING MY FUR OFF DO YOU WANT ME TO END UP BALD?!**

 **Bumblestripe: *gets dragged off while crying for Dovewing***

 **Dovewing: NO DON'T STEAL MY ATTENTION I DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS**

 **Me: Anyways, disclaimer, disclaimer, blah blah blah, potatoes. This is Chapter 2. Also this chapter will be written in Clover's POV, if you remember her as one of Lightning's elite cats from last chapter. She'll play an important part later.**

"Lightning?" Clover cautiously padded into her leader's den. Her chocolate-colored tabby pelt blended in perfectly with the den walls, and her green eyes were like shards of ice in the fading sunlight. Behind her, Blaze and Sparrow paced anxiously in front of the entrance.

Lightning was curled up in his nest of fur, his striped pale ginger tail wrapped around his forepaws. He lifted his head as Clover came closer. "Are the patrols done?"

Clover bowed her head. "Yes, Lightning." She hesitated for a bit. "And we brought back some news."

The black-striped tabby rose, stretching his legs, before padding to the entrance. "News can wait until sunset," he growled. "I will hear it when all the patrols are back."

Sparrow tried to step forward to argue, but Clover slapped her tail over the tom's mouth. "Don't contradict the leader," she warned.

Hissing, the red tabby tom turned on her. "We all know you want to stick with Lightning just because you have a crush on him. Just because he's leader doesn't mean he's always right! Why can't you realize that, instead of padding after him and blindly following his orders?"

"That's not true!" Clover gasped. Her pelt burned. _How did he find out?_

Sparrow glared at her one last time before leaping out of Lightning's den. Blaze followed, sending an apologetic glance back at Clover.

The brown she-cat flattened her ears against her head, instinctively lowering into an attack stance. She had kept her secret well guarded, but sometimes it almost made her want to become part of Lightning's flank...

 _"Dewdrop!" Clover squeaked happily, running over to her mother while her littermate, Fawn, stumbled behind._

 _Dewdrop gently licked the top of Clover's head. "Remember to play nice with your sister, okay?"_

 _"But she can't fight!" Clover protested, glaring at Fawn, who shrunk back into her mother's pelt._

 _"So she can't." Dewdrop answered, guiding Fawn with her tail to the front. "But she has other qualities that will make her useful."_

 _Clover gazed curiously at the lithe, delicate figure of Fawn. "What will she do when she's older?"_

 _"You two will both become important parts of this forest," Dewdrop mewed reassuringly. "Clover, strive to become part of the leader's elite group. Never be afraid of any other cat. And Fawn..."_

 _The pale gray she-cat turned to her younger daughter. "You will become very crucial to the leader. The survival of the forest will depend on you."_

 _"Really?" Fawn looked up fearfully at her mother._

 _Clover lashed her tiny tail. "Why can't the survival of the forest depend on me?" she wailed._

 _"Someday, when I am long gone from this world, you will come to understand how different your lives will be." Dewdrop nudged Fawn and Clover towards their den. "But now, get some rest. I'll be there for you in the morning."_

Sighing, Clover slipped out of her leader's den. She was curious how her sister was getting along as a member of Lightning's flank. There was no rule about visiting the flank, right?

After checking the position of the sun, Clover dashed towards the leader's flank's den, following the scent trail of many she-cats. Finally coming to a stop, she cautiously poked her nose through the entrance.

Immediately, a terrified wail rose from inside the den. "It's not-" Clover tried to say, but she doubted they could hear her over the noise they were making.

The she-cat lashed her tail. "Quiet!" she hissed. "It's not an intruder, it's just me!"

"Who are you?" A gray she-cat, foreign to Clover, challenged. She arched threateningly, although Clover could tell she had never known the desperation of fighting. It almost made Clover want to roll her eyes, but she stopped herself.

"I'm here to see Fawn," Clover mewed calmly, forcing her fur to lie flat. "She's my littermate."

"C-Clover?" A shy voice came from behind the bristling she-cat, and the chocolate tabby's younger sister padded out.

Clover's eyes widened. She hadn't seen Fawn for years now, as it was rare for the flank to join the nightly gathering. Her sister had grown from the frail, scared kit to a beautiful dappled brown-and-cream she-cat, light cerulean eyes wide and uncertain.

"Fawn..." she breathed, taking a step closer towards her littermate.

"Hold it right there!" A tom's voice sounded angrily behind Clover, and she spun around in alarm.

Sparrow, Blaze, Stone, Owl, and Lightning were blocking the exit to the den, their eyes glinting and claws unsheathing. Clover gulped.

Lightning took a step forward, baring his teeth. "And just _what_ ," he snarled, "do you think you're doing?"

 **Yay! I'm done! Now time to go watch anime and eat food.**

 **Tigerheart: *somehow manages to come back* Hey, I want to watch anime too-MMPH *gets dragged away again***

 **Me: Ha ha ha no. You don't even understand Japanese.**

 **See ya!**

 **~Heathershade**


	3. Allegiances

**So after re-reading the story, I realized that no one actually knows what these cats look like or what they are from.**

 **So here are the allegiances (as of now)!**

 **Leader**

Lightning - pale ginger tabby tom with black stripes

 **Elite**

Clover - chocolate colored tabby she-cat with green eyes

Lion - strong golden tom with broad shoulders

Sparrow - red tabby tom with copper eyes

Buzzard - blue smoke tom, hazel eyes

Stone - gray tabby tom with darker stripes

Flame - dark ginger she-cat with highlights across pelt

Mud - pale brown tabby tom

Owl - tan, almost light brown she-cat

Whisper - light gray tom with darker flecks

 **Lightning's Flank**

Blossom - delicate light brown she-cat with golden eyes

Storm - dark gray she-cat, lighter streaks

Cherry - cream tabby with white patches

Willow - tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

Dapple - golden brown tabby she-cat

Fawn - spotted brown and cream she-cat

Wind - black-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

 **Also, I will try my hardest to update every 2 weeks instead of 3. Maybe. If I'm not busy. But who knows?**

 **~Heathershade**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! It's been wayyy overdue for an update.**

 **The truth is, I've recently been having some health conditions and I just haven't gotten the will to write anything. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, and I am in the progress of recovering. Stress has taken its toll on me.**

 **Because of my mental recovery, I will be updating** **once every 2 months** **until about the beginning of Feburary. To any of you who follow me on my anime account, I know this time period is different and longer, but I will need time to update (and to ensure I don't have another mental breakdown. Really, I suddenly started crying one day in my mom's car. It was as if I didn't have anything to live for. Not fun.)**

 **Finally, to anyone out there who suffered through depression like I did, be strong. Stand up. Be like the Warrior cat you look up to. Whether it's Bluestar or Ivypool or Sorreltail, you have to fight through it. Find something to live for.**

 **If you need more inspiration, listen to Superchick's "Stand In The Rain". It's really helpful, I swear.**

 **I could go on all day to give you song recommendations, but let's just start. Sorry, no characters barging in this time.**

 **Mapleshade: *barges in* SAYS WHO?**

 **Silverstream: *follows* Wait, Mapleshade! The author says you aren't allowed today, you can't just-**

 **Mapleshade: I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT *starts screwing up everything* NO ONE CAN STOP ME MUAHAHAHAHA**

 **Me: ...never mind.**

The moon was rising as Clover finally finished explaining what she had been doing in the flank's den. "I was visiting my sister, Lightning," she mewed as she dipped her head respectfully.

The striped tabby twitched his ear thoughtfully, glancing at Clover. "If you're telling the truth, I suppose you're fine." He flicked his tail as a sign of dismissal.

Sparrow stepped forward, also ducking his head before lashing his tail. "But you never know what she could've been doing inside there! Lightning, don't you think she should be punished?"

Clover turned on him, hissing. "What would you know? You weren't even there! Stop assuming I'm always doing something wrong just because I'm a she-cat!"

The red tabby snorted. "Well, she-cats _are_ known for being insane. Besides, you can't talk, anyways. Who spends their time daydreaming about toms while everyone else is risking their lives-"

"You piece of fox-dung!" Screeching in rage, Clover lashed out at Sparrow, who retaliated back. A blur of brown and red whirled past Lightning, who flicked his tail irritably. "Once you _kits_ are done, please leave me in peace and get out of my den."

Clover and Sparrow broke apart, panting and ruffled. "You'll see that I'm right later on," Sparrow growled before padding away. Clover bared her teeth at Sparrow's retreating backside.

Suddenly Clover felt a tail on her back, and turned to see Owl behind her. "Don't worry," the tan she-cat murmured comfortingly, causing Clover to blink in surprise. "Sparrow can be a bit... stubborn, but he has a good heart."

Almost every cat in the forest knew of how Sparrow and Owl had clawed their way to the top, killing their younger sibling who had befriended a kittypet and leaving their mother hurt and heartbroken. They were the ruthless twin brother and sister, though most cats considered Sparrow as stronger because Owl was a she-cat. Young, menacing, and demanding, they were generally two of the most feared cats in the forest.

Actually, up to this point, Clover hadn't even guessed that Owl could show something like sympathy. But she just decided to nod and slink out of the den, avoiding Owl's copper eyes, so much like her brother's.

* * *

"Lightning's calling us to the gathering. Come on." A paw prodded Clover awake from her nap, and she blinked away sleep from her eyes to see Flame.

Clover groaned as she dragged herself out of her nest in the elite's restricted sleeping quarters. "I feel like I want to sleep for another moon," she complained to Flame, who blinked her blue eyes in understanding.

The two sprinted towards the gathering place, where Clover braced herself for the overwhelming scent of cats. "Why is this mandatory for us again?" She heard Flame mutter in her ear, and she nodded in agreement.

Clover and Flame bounded into the mass of cats, keeping an eye on Lightning's den. All cats were allowed to mingle and share prey until midnight, when the leader would come out and update them on the happenings of the forest. It was a way for families to reunite and for the elite to let off their stress and worries.

"Hey!" Whisper bounded over, gray pelt barely a shadow in the moonlight. Clover had grown to become acquaintances with the two younger members of the elite. They were experienced killers, yes, but compared to cats like Owl, Sparrow, and Lightning they might've well been kits. Still, Clover saw them as a younger sibling replacement in the twisted family of the elite - someone to look after.

Flame purred. "How's patrolling before dawn going?"

"Terrible," Whisper snorted. "All the older cats just put me towards the end because they say I'm 'too slow'. I'm as fast as them! Probably even faster! It's not fair."

"I know, right?" Clover muttered. Recently, the other members of the elite had become too stuck-up for their own good. She had once thought about talking to Lightning about it, then realized that he would probably never listen to her. She sighed in defeat.

The three pushed their way to the front, where the other members were waiting. At one point, Whisper tripped over what he thought was a fluffy rock, until he glanced down and saw a dark gray kit baring its tiny little teeth at him. Flame had rolled over laughing while Clover tried her hardest to stifle her amusement.

"That kit's gonna have a lifelong grudge for you!" Flame joked. Clover purred, but it died in her throat when she realized the other members of the elite were looming over her, glaring impatiently. She stared back, refusing to bend to their expectations.

"Hurry up, kits," Lion, one of the eldest members, growled.

The chocolate tabby bristled. They were all close together in age: Lion, at 40 moons, was the eldest, while Flame was 24 moons and Clover, 30 moons. Sparrow and Owl were 37 moons, as second-oldest.

Suddenly the clearing died down as Lightning stepped out of his den. His pale tabby fur glowed under the light of the moon, stretched over powerful muscles, and his dark blue eyes glinted. The black stripes on his pelt looked like claw marks - a reminder of what would happen if anyone disobeyed him. It was obvious he was their respected leader.

"Cats of the forest!" he yowled. "Gather to hear my words!"

 **Bringing back Lightning's POV in the next chapter. As I was writing this, I realized I was turning into a Sparrow/Clover shipper, lol. I don't even know anymore.**

 **~Heathershade**


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm currently on the plane to China, so I'm bored out of my mind. Expect potential frequent updates, depending on whether I feel like working or not :)**

 **Since I'm on an airplane and where I'm going for the next two weeks has no wifi, I'm writing this all in advance for when I get back to America.**

 **Berrynose: *crash* HEY EVERYONE I'M HERE APPLAUD FOR ME**

 **Poppyfrost: *follows* NO WAIT COME BACK CHERRYTAIL AND MOLEWHISKER NEED YOU**

 **Me: You know, Berrynose, you sound a lot like Dovewing back in Chapter 2.**

 **Berrynose: THANK YOU I KNOW I'M BRILLIANT**

 **Me: That wasn't supposed to be a compliment.**

 **Berrynose: Oh. o.O**

 **Poppyfrost: LET'S GO *drags Berrynose out by the ear***

 **Berrynose: NO WAIT I WANT TO BE THE STAR**

 **Me: Sucks to be you, stuck-up arrogant brat.**

 **Poppyfrost: *throws Berrynose against the wall* Heathershade doesn't own any of the characters she mentioned or Warriors. Bye bye!**

 **Me: Um… bye, I guess?**

 ***UPDATE* I had already intended to publish this through my dad's Macbook, but the file wasn't loading and everytime I tried, it would be all like "file corrupt" and other crap. I actually got back from China 2 weeks ago, and I had to c/p the chapters onto Google Drive and then again onto WordPad. Sorry for the delay!**

At dawn the next morning, reports came flooding to Lightning about a strange illness at the edge of the forest, affecting only a few cats and not potentially infectious. However, any sick cat would develop patches of white on their fur, which would eventually fall out in thick clumps.

"Only a couple of cases have been reported," Lion meowed to Lightning. "But every single cat who's gotten the illness had eventually froze to death. Their fur couldn't provide any body heat, especially in the peak of leaf-bare."

Lightning growled, pacing back and forth on the ledge. "Isolate the ill cats. We don't know if this disease is contagious, and we will try our best to prevent anyone else from catching it."

"But what if something in their environment is causing it?" A small voice mewed from the back of the group of elite. Every cat turned to see one of the younger members, Whisper, standing uncertainly. "What if, like, something they're eating is making them sick? What good would isolating the ill do then?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Lightning replied, though inside he was panicking a little. _What if it really was something about their living area? What should I do?_

Whisper reeled back. "But-."

"Go!" Lightning snarled. The gray tom's eyes widened in fear and he took a step back. "Whisper, Clover, Mud, Owl, Stone, and Buzzard, leave immediately. We cannot let anyone else die this leaf-bare."

The six cats disappeared in blurs of brown and golden. "The rest of you, go patrol the borders and check to see if the illness has spread anywhere else," Lightning commanded, turning towards his den.

If his cats were to be attacked by an unknown enemy, Lightning wanted to be prepared before it happened.

* * *

Lightning was tearing half-heartedly at a skinny, limp mouse while his mind was clogged with worries. He wanted to protect his cats, but he was helpless against nature. All he could do was hope that none of his elite group would catch the illness.

 _Whatever deity is up there,_ Lightning prayed silently, _please help us get through this._

The striped tabby's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a patrol that suddenly barged into his den. "What have I told you about knocking?" Lightning grumbled, but quickly realized that this was not a great time to retreat into his sarcastic inner self.

Buzzard panted heavily as he tried to catch his breath, smoky fur damp with sweat. "Lightning… The disease has spread across the territory. Seven cats have currently died, with fifteen ill. We have scoured the area, but we did not see any threat."

Hissing in frustration, Lightning batted aside what remained of his dinner and started pacing. "You have another mission," he finally bit out. "Make sure every healthy cat has good sanitation and clean paws. We must keep ourselves safe."

Buzzard nodded and sprinted off, the rest of the patrol closely following. Lightning slunk back into his nest, wondering what would be the fate of his cats, his elite, his flank-

 _Mouse dung!_ Why hadn't Lightning thought of this earlier? His flank was in danger and he needed to move them to somewhere safe. Abandoning all other thoughts, Lightning raced out of his den and into the forest, following the scent trail towards his flank's den.

The leader skidded to a stop, breath billowing in the cold leaf-bare air. He barged into the den, looking around and feeling relieved when he saw none of his cats ill.

"Wind!" Lightning called out in relief as he saw a flash of black and white out of the corner of his eye. The lithe she-cat quickly turned around at the voice of her friend and bounded over.

Lightning and Wind had been childhood friends after their families moved in near each other. Though Wind was not built for a life of fighting, she was strong and intelligent and someone Lightning looked towards when he needed advice. She was the only one who could see through his façade of harshness, having grown up with him.

"Hey!" Wind purred, amber eyes sparkling. "What's up?"

Lightning shifted uneasily on his paws, an action he rarely did in front of any cat. "Okay, so, um, there's this disease spreading through the forest, and anyone who gets infected will become practically bald and freeze to death. I was worried about the flank, and I need your help moving them to a safer place inside the forest."

Wind blinked at him. "Gotcha. Where do you want them to go?"

The tabby considered his options. Near the elite would be good – provided that they don't get sick and try not to be incredibly loud at night or something. Besides, there was an empty den near the elite's den that was clean but never used. It was a perfect spot.

"Near the elite would be great." Lightning explained the plan to Wind, who nodded in understanding. "I'll get them in front of your den before dusk," she promised.

"What's happening at dusk?" Storm suddenly butted into their conversation, draping herself over Lightning and letting their fur mix. "Because if it has anything to do with you, I'm all in." She batted her eyes, completely oblivious to the mild look of disgust on Lightning's face. Wind purred in amusement but quickly tried to hide it with a cough.

"Lightning?" A softer voice called, and Blossom padded over, having noticed her leader. She entwined her tail with Lightning's and shoved Storm away. The gray she-cat snarled at Blossom and backed into the depths of the den, not wanting to mess with the leader's potential mate.

"Hey," Lightning mewed, but it came out more bitter than he'd expected. "Listen, there's trouble in the forest and I've given Wind orders, so just so what she says, okay?"

Blossom pouted. "But Lightning," she whined. "Shouldn't you have told me first?"

Lightning closed his eyes and counted to ten, feeling his patience slowly disappear. _If you were a normal cat, then you would've already known and not clung to me like you're my second pelt_.

"I was afraid you would be scared," the striped tabby responded, which was partly true – okay, maybe like 10% true. But he seriously needed to get rid of Blossom before he started screaming.

Prying himself away, Lightning waved a quick goodbye to Wind and dashed towards his den.

 **I realized that in the first chapter, I wrote that Sparrow and Flame were looking smugly at each other while Whisper confidently gave a report. Yeah, they were totally OOC. But keep in mind I wrote the first chapter before I gave them all personalities.**

 **See you in 2016! ;)**

 **~Heathershade**


	6. Chapter 5

**If the spacing is screwed up on this chapter, I apologize. I keep forgetting whether I should double-space the paragraphs or not so I might be throwing everything off. If it looks normal, then thank StarClan.**

 **Also, I don't think any of you know, but my old Warriors account is actually titled Snowgaze and underneath that account there's a story called "Warriors Medicine Buisness", which I discontinued after January. However, after looking through my work from about a year ago, I am debating whether or not to make a revised version and post it on here.**

 **For those of you who don't know, WMB is pretty much a modernized medicine den, run by Yellowfang and Spottedleaf and their mouse-brained assistant Crookedstar. I stopped working on that fanfic because I started to realize that all three were wayyy OOC (except Spottedleaf, ofc) and the amount of OCs I had was driving me insane.**

 **I sincerely apologize for anyone whose OC I neglected (if they're reading this) and if you want me to repost my work but switch out the characters and ish, I will gladly do it. Honestly, WMB was pretty popular and I don't know whether I should edit it and actually complete it or not.**

 **I will be posting this same message on Chapter 2 of Heathershade's Sorrow as well.**

 **Clear Sky: *prances in* Guess who I am? That's right, the father of the founder of the Clans! I am powerful! I am honored! EVERYONE SHOULD RESPECT ME!**

 **Me: I swear to StarClan, it's like having an older, more ancient version of Berrynose.**

 **Storm: CLEAR SKY WE ARE NO GOING THROUGH THIS AGAIN! YOU ARE NOT THUNDER'S FATHER! WE BOTH KNOW THAT GRAY WING IS THE REAL FATHER OF THUNDER!**

 **Me: Whoa, you guys need help. I'd recommend Warriors' Couples' Counseling by Brighteyes of ThunderClan, one of my favorite Warriors fanfiction of all time. Oh wait, you've already been on there, haven't you?**

 **Clear Sky: ExCUSE ME?**

 **Storm: ARE YOU INSULTING OUR RELATIONSHIP?**

 **Me: What? No! I didn't say anyth – HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING THAT'S MY TAIL**

 **Clear Sky: DIE, DIE, DIE!**

 **Yeah, that was weird. I think I'm delusional. *giggles* BuTtErFlIeS aNd LiGhTsTiCkS…**

Clover nosed through a patch of dead ferns, blackened from the cold. Half-heartedly, she prodded the ground, trying to search for evidence of what could have caused the illness.

"Find anything?" Owl yowled above the wind.

The chocolate tabby shook her head to get rid of the snow piling on top and bent her tail slightly, the signal for "no". Digging under the frozen earth, she suddenly came across a small pile of bones that resembled a curled-up mouse. _Yuck._

"I don't understand what Lightning wants us to do," Flame mumbled as she pulled up a dried-up root, dead long ago and now slowly crumbling to dust. She shivered, burying her head into a clump of yellow moss nearby in an attempt to warm it. Clover padded over and rested her head against Flame's back, providing much-needed body heat for the younger.

Near them, Buzzard was hissing in frustration as he tried to stick his nose into a large pile of snow, while Mud bared his teeth at a particularly stubborn weed sticking out of a snowdrift that refused to budge. Clover sighed and poked her tail at a branch sticking out of the icy ground. They weren't getting anywhere with these "expeditions", and more and more cats were dying every day.

At least a billion moons later, Owl signaled for the group to gather under the branches of a large pine tree. Shivering slightly from the cold herself, Clover huddled next to Flame, trying her hardest to conserve body heat. The two toms were no better, smushed together in a ball of gray and brown fur and grumbling. Despite the cold, Clover resisted the urge to purr.

"Alright, since we haven't found a trace of the disease, we might as well call it a day and get out of here," Owl meowed. Clover sighed in relief, but before she could completely relax Owl continued, "But before we do that we have to make sure we ourselves are well fed. It's a long journey from here to our dens."

"Long journey my butt!" Mud hissed, hackles rising. "We're all freezing to death here, and you want us to go hunt? Our dens are only half a quarter-moon's worth of travel. Why don't we just get out of here as soon as we can?"

Clover could see Buzzard nodding in agreement, and Owl unsheathed her claws. Clover unconsciously did the same. "Do you want to starve out in the cold, or would you rather have at least some nutrition before you start to waste energy complaining about everything?" Owl snarled, taking a step towards Mud. The younger glared at Owl before relenting and dipping his head, a sign of disgruntled respect.

Owl flicked her tail. "Scatter. Meet back in this spot. If you're not here by sunhigh, we'll assume you decided to leave by yourself."

Blurs of gray and brown leaped out from under the pine tree and disappeared into different directions. Seeing that Flame would be able to cope by herself, Clover took a deep breath, knowing that the fate of all the cats living in the forest rested in her paws, and jumped heroically into a snowdrift.

 _Wonderful._

"Need some help?" a voice from above Clover's head meowed.

The tabby dug her claws into the hard-packed snow and hauled herself up, only to become face-to-face with Buzzard, who smirked at her. "Go away," Clover muttered. "Aren't you supposed to be hunting?"

Buzzard rolled his eyes. "Can't you tell I'm done?" he replied. Clover glanced at the small pile of mice and squirrel. "No way you managed to catch that much," she accused.

"Have you ever thought of the fact that I caught all these when we were supposed to be finding clues for that stupid disease?" Buzzard flung a mouse over to Clover, who accepted it gratefully and tore a piece off. "Do you normally talk in only questions?" she shot back, muffled by the meat.

Purring, Buzzard picked up his load of prey and flicked his tail at Clover. "Cheers, big ears," he mewed.

"Same goes, big nose." Clover waved her tail, watching as Buzzard bounded gracefully over a large tree branch. Stuffing the last of the mouse in her mouth, she sprinted in the opposite direction to properly hunt.

 **For your reference, Buzzard is pretty much like that one gay af person in your squad who's like friends with everyone. He and Clover aren't close, but they do have a running joke with the big ears thing.**

 **Mostly filler, the plot kicks in the next chapter. Sorry about the wait, I've been busy on other fanfic accounts and YouTube and ish.**

 **~Heathershade**


End file.
